Let’s talk about the tricks…

Back Hand Slap – a spectator chooses a card which is lost in the deck. Then performer chooses some random cards to make a ‘poor poker hand’ and gives them to the spectator to hold, and promises to extract the spectator’s card from the deck and sneak it into the cards they’re holding. With a ‘slap’ their card appears in their hand – and the remaining four cards instantly transform into a Royal Flush. This need a modicum of basic card-handling skills – breaks, transfers, forces, controls – not all of which are taught in any detail. It feels like an OK trick but didn’t rock my world.

Twisted – a brief ‘twisting the aces’ leads into using the aces locate two previously chosen selections. I really like the twisting sequence here – but the routine does require a few more moves than some of the others on the DVD.

Reality Burp – to an amusing hypnosis type presentation you make a packet of four cards turn into four copies of two spectator’s selections, then in an instant they change into four of a (different) kind and swap places with some cards under the card case. Did that make sense or are you feeling sleepy? What a lot of magic with only slight set up and some fairly straightforward handling.

The hof – a chosen card swaps places with the corresponding ace from a packet of four aces. Simple and direct. Nice.

The other thing – the four kings are lost around the deck and then are instantly found in unlikely and impossible places. The sneaky set up is done in plain sight – so it could work nicely impromptu.

Swing of things – a quirky routine which requires very little effort to produce some entertaining magic. The title comes from the use of a pendulum which first reveals the identity of a ‘random’ card which then instantly turns into the spectator’s earlier selection. Liam thinks this is the most commercial routine on the disk and I think he could be right. With such a simple method there is plenty of scope for presenting it in lots of different ways.

Pop Hof – a card is selected and lost in the deck. The four aces have been laid aside earlier. One of the aces disappears, then reappears. Then in an instant all the other aces ‘merge’ and transform into the spectator’s selection in your hand. I rather like this – an unconventional feeling plot which should be quite memorable for your audience

The conclusion?

Although I generally LOVE Liam Montier’s releases, this one left me slightly underwhelmed. It could be that my familiarity with the original ebook meant I was less excited by the content – though my memory isn’t so good that I could remember it in detail.

Liam himself seemed almost bored in some of the performances and explanations – he wasn’t working with another person (apart from Owen’s contributions from behind the camera) – so perhaps that reduced is energy levels.

Compared to many of his recent releases the explanations seemed more brief. Perhaps the DVD is aimed at more experienced performers than some of the ‘self-working’ releases – but even so, it felt poor form that some moves (e.g. the Lovell Easy Riffle Force which is used in a number of routines) aren’t even taught.

All that being said, there are some good routines here and some improvements in handling over the original ebook. So if you’ve not seen the material first time round it is well worth a look – Liam always produces effective magic with the minimum amount of effort.

Cardio is available from MagicShop.co.uk for £20.99 (at the time of writing).

If you’d rather test the waters with the ebook that is only £9.99.

(Review copy kindly provided by BigBlindMedia)

Liam Montier – Cardio DVD – review

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The post Liam Montier – Cardio DVD – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

What is Cardio? It is an e-book of 7 effects – all cards. Like me, Liam is a big John Bannon fan, and there is ‘something of the Bannon’ in the way he has clearly thought carefully about the structure and impact of each effect. But what of the effects?

The Other Thing
This is a 4 King location where the cards appear in ‘impossible’ locations. It is a nice routine – and I love the way much of the work is done before the effect has even started from the point of view of the spectator. It requires a few moves, but is within reach of most card magicians.

Pop Hoff
As the name hints, this is a very visual take on the Hofzinser Ace Problem. Essentially the four aces help to find the spectator’s card – eventually fusing into it. Again, I like the routine. It does require a flat palm which may put some off – but you are getting a lot of pretty visual magic without too much hard work here.

Backhand Slap
A spectator’s card is revealed in a dramatic way, with a 4-ace kicker at the same time. For me this is not one of the stronger routines in the booklet. But it might play well for a poker-loving audience, and would follow on (in terms of set up) from Pop Hoff quite easily.

The Swing of Things
A pendulum both ‘divines’ and reveals the chosen card. I really like this. It is technically very simple and the use of the pendulum gives a very different feel to this ‘card trick’. A great little idea which will play well with laypeople.

Twisted
This is a twisting the aces routine with a strong extra double climax. What I like about this is the structuring of the effect and the way that both gives the whole ‘twisting’ routine a purpose and sucks the audience in. Again, very visual magic without too much hard work. A great routine.

Scam Royale
With a nod in the direction of John Bannon… This is a ‘collectors’ type plot with a twist. If I’m honest, I’ve never enjoyed the Collectors plot so this didn’t do much for me. The Royal Flush finish is surprising, but there is a bit of set-up for this one. Would be interesting to see what a layperson thought, but I’m never likely to show one!

Reality Burp
The plot here is all about hypnosis – two spectators see their card multiply and then swap places with the Kings in a surprising way. There are a fair few moves in this routine – though again, they would be in the reach of most (a bit more palming required here too). It is a strong effect with a nice premise and the ending is certainly a kicker.

A word on format/style.
The book is very simply and clearly produced (no flashy graphics – just well layed-out text) and well written. Each effect begins with a description which also serves to outline the suggested patter/routine. All the ‘sources’ and inspiration for each effect are clearly described, and he takes the time to explain the reasons for particular actions and steps. Where there are ‘moves’ they are clearly described – but in such a way as they are easy to skip if you already know them. For me it is a model of how such booklets should be written.

In conclusion…
There is some great magic within the pages of this booklet – and even if you don’t like them all, for £10 it is not much per trick. I think the hallmark of this work is simplicity/clarity of effect – and the routines are worth studying for what you can learn about structuring a trick if nothing else. So if you are a cardman, this comes recommended.

You can buy Cardio from the Merchant of Magic for £9.99.

The post Liam Montier – Cardio – mini review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.